The present disclosure relates to a lens barrel and an image pickup apparatus including the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a lens barrel in which miniaturization and facilitation of a regulating work can be realized in such a way that an eccentricity regulating member for regulating eccentricity of a lens holding frame with respect to an optical axis is supported by an inclination regulating member for regulating inclination of the lens holding frame with respect to the optical axis.
Various kinds of image pickup apparatuses such as a still camera include first type one in which a lens barrel in which various kinds of optical parts and optical elements such as lenses are disposed is built in an apparatus main body, second type one in which an interchangeable lens functioning as a lens barrel is made detachable for an apparatus main body, third type one, that is, so-called retractable type one in which a lens barrel is extensively provided, and the like.
In an optical system in a lens barrel of such an image pickup apparatus, in recent years, merely simply assembling the lenses (lens group) result in that it has been very difficult to ensure the excellent optical performance.
In order to cope with such a situation, after the whole of or a part of the lens barrel has been assembled, a part of the lenses (lens group) disposed inside the lens barrel is inclined, and a regulating mechanism which is capable of eccentrically moving the lenses (lens group) is provided. Thus, there is carried out the optical regulation (inclination regulation and eccentricity regulation) for ensuring the excellent image quality.
In addition, after such optical regulation has been carried out, for the purpose of preventing the optical performance from being changed after completion of the regulation, a lens holding frame for holding the lenses for which the regulation has been carried out is fixed to a mounting member such as a guide tube or a movement ring by, for example, using an ultraviolet cure adhesive agent or the like.
An existing image pickup apparatus in which the optical regulation as described above for the lenses (lens group) is carried out includes an example as will be described below (refer to FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-219405 (Patent Document 1), for example).
In an image pickup apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a five-group holding plate provided with a regulating mechanism is fixed to a head portion of an extension portion of a three-group holding frame. Also, a five-group holding frame for holding a fifth lens group is held in the three-group holding frame through the five-group holding plate by both of a first regulating member and a second regulating member.
The first regulating member is an eccentric member, and thus regulation for eccentricity of the fifth lens group with respect to an optical axis can be carried out by regulating a rotational direction of the eccentric member. In addition, the second regulating member is also an eccentric member, and thus regulation for inclination of the fifth lens group with respect to the optical axis can be carried out by regulating the rotational direction of the eccentric member.